Londoning - one for the price of two

Overdue for this one - two entries for the price of one!

It was early morning and I frantically rummage around the AFL Live app to get the ABC Grandstand call of the Grand Final. As soothing as it was to hear Gerard Wheatley's voice, it just wasn't the same as watching it. Soooo I may or may not have signed up to the AFL World streaming for a small fee and watched the Hawks march to a thumping victory, on my Samsamg 

Galaxy.

Poppy's birthday was today! Off to Victoria Station. We were to change onto a tube, to get to Hyde Park. Poppy didn't believe the stories of how big it was and needed to see it for himself. Now he knows, it's one green monster in the middle of a packed city. Oh the serenity!

As we got towards Hyde Park Corner tube station, we came across a big monument with the Australian Coat of Arms in plain view. It was indeed an Australian War Memorial paying tribute to the partnership between the Australian and British troops throughout several wars. On the wall was an inscription of all the suburbs where Australian servicemen and women resided before going on and ultimately perishing in battle.

Toilet stop and a Starbucks later we were off again. Small hitch this time. The District and Circle lines were closed all weekend for track work. Not only did a handful of key stations shut their doors, this made the remaining lines absolutely packed with customers.

Off to the British Museum, to see what all the fuss is about. Phenomenal building! The exhibits...yeah they were alright. Egyptian Mummies were a bit creepy!

Out of the Museum we were going to go back to around the Tower Bridge as we had seen some swanky looking pubs to have a birthday ale, but we settled around Bank as the track closures meant it was way too far to walk, traffic was at a standstill. We found a place. A bit more of a hipster place but Poppy fit right in. Fish and Chips for Poppy and I had a suave looking burger with a pint of Peroni, at London prices, of course.

We spoke about souvenirs to buy for friends and family. I thought of Harrods. Not to buy anything but just to have a squizz around. Knightsbridge Station was the stop. 

Now, the plan was to walk in, have a glance and walk out. But we spent nearly two hours looking around at detailed sculptures, legendary suits, fine foods and the latest technologies at jaw dropping prices. It makes Myer look like your local Aldi. There's everything you can imagine in here. Clothing, makeup, restaurants, bars, butchers, delis, white goods, homewares, travel agencies, sporting goods, gadgets, jewelers, Christmas stuff and if that's not enough Harrods even has it's own dedicated gift shop! It's the one stop shop for those who either own Oil Rigs, those who are English Premier League superstars, Pop Divas, Hollywood A-Listers and so on and so forth

Walking outside seeing a line up of Bentleys, Ferrari, McLarens etc, the weather turned very gloomy, putting the London Eye out of the question for the afternoon. Our legs were broken, time for a beer and to get back to Dartford.

Onto Sunday;

"Slept in" to 7.45. Our legs were still sore from yesterday after all the walking and waiting, especially for the trains. Off we go again. A very foggy start greeted us but it very quickly turned into a beautiful day with the mercury climbing to the low 20s

This time we get a train to London Charing Cross, a lot more connections there to transport that isn't closed for track work. 

We did a "practice run" to the meeting point for the Cosmos Tour that starts tomorrow. Got to Hammersmith with no issue, except it took a very long time (damn closures!) and we found out exactly where to go, we can sleep easy tonight.

We loved the Singapore bumboat tour so much that we wanted to do something on the River Thames. From Tower Bridge we embarked on a 40 minute circular cruise that took us all the way down to Westminster (Big Ben, Parliament, London Eye etc) and back whilst learning a little bit more about the Thames and its surrounds.

After a Malaysian invasion the other day I wanted to show Poppy how Trafalgar Square looked in its prime state. I mislead us on the tube and ended up in Oxford Circus. Got out for a look at the shopping strip and it's going bananas for the NFL game that's in town between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders. Street banners everywhere and a lot of people wearing Miami clothing. I looked up ticket prices but it's too expensive considering my lack of understanding of the sport.

Anyway a couple of stops down we arrived to Trafalgar Square. I love this place. It's history, the monuments, the National Gallery and the view down Parliament Street is fantastic! You can literally sit on a step and people watch all day or take in a street performance. 

Onwards towards Downing Street for a quick look at perhaps the most protected cul-de-sac in the world. Time to soak in the glory of Westminster Abbey. A Japanese couple had their wedding right outside it whilst we were there.

Another pint down we walked alongside The London Eye. One look at the line was enough to discourage us from doing it this time around. We soaked up the twilight atmosphere along the river with market stalls and street performances, whilst slowly making our way back to Charing Cross station to go back to Dartford.

What I've learnt about myself in the last three days is this: I just wanna get filthy rich, buy a Ferrari, perhaps a flat on Mayfair, buy my meats from Harrods Butchery and live a Londoner life.

There's no one reason for it. But there's just something that draws me to this city. Its history. Its modern culture. Its future. Every street corner tells a completely different yet fascinating story that spans back hundreds of years. Like I said I don't know what it is - but yet again London has won me over.